Tag: Kaleb Ringer

2012 Season Countdown: #77 Kaleb Ringer

Kaleb Ringer

Name: Kaleb Ringer
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 225 lbs.
High school: Clayton (OH) Northmont
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #49
Last year: Ringer was in high school. He made 59 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass breakup while missing several games with a knee injury.

Final TTB Rating: 39

Ringer enrolled early in January, participating in spring practices and seeing some time as a backup in the spring game.  The inside linebacker positions are somewhat interchangeable, and Ringer saw snaps at both WILL and MIKE.  He looked particularly well built this spring and has a physically mature body.

Ringer was recruited as a WILL, and with fellow early enrollee Joe Bolden earning rave reviews at the MIKE position, it’s unlikely that both Bolden and Ringer will be needed at MIKE.  Meanwhile, the WILL position is very deep and probably won’t require contributions from Ringer unless there are a couple significant injuries or departures.  He could see some time on special teams, but the depth at linebacker places him fairly low on this list.

Prediction: Redshirt

2012 Spring Game Review – Defense

Senior WILL Brandin Hawthorne was Saturday’s defensive MVP

DEFENSIVE ENDS
I thought Craig Roh looked pretty darn good at strongside end.  The starter at weakside end was Brennen Beyer, who looks significantly bigger this spring than he did in the fall.  He looked like a bona fide weakside end instead of a lanky outside linebacker.  Beyer got a good pass rush a couple times.  Meanwhile, backup weakside end Frank Clark performed solidly and made a nice hit on fullback Joey Kerridge, whom Clark chased down out of the backfield.  I also thought backup strongside end Keith Heitzman looked pretty solid.  Based on how Nathan Brink looked last year, I’m going to posit that Heitzman passes up Brink this fall.  (Brink sat out the spring game, still recovering from his broken leg.)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
William Campbell looked alternately solid and inconsequential.  He had one or two good  plays but he just didn’t seem to be going hard all the time.  He should have destroyed walk-on guard Joey Burzynski (or so I would think) but instead got stalemated too often.  Maybe the coaches are teaching him differently than I would expect, but it all seemed to start with his stance, which needs work from my perspective.  Jibreel Black looks like a matchup nightmare for a lot of offensive guards, because he’s too quick to handle with any consistency.  He looks bigger than last year (although the neck roll might have had something to do with that).  It also seems that Richard Ash has taken a step forward, and I was surprised by how big backup 3-tech Chris Rock has become.  I saw glimmers of hope there for some competent rotation players.  Quinton Washington and Ken Wilkins still didn’t impress me.

LINEBACKERS
I didn’t pay much attention to Jake Ryan because we already know he’s a good player.  Kenny Demens looked solid but unspectacular at MIKE.  Desmond Morgan left the scrimmage early after getting chopped down on a blitz; he limped to the sideline and was later carted into the tunnel.  Hopefully it was nothing serious.  Cam Gordon was Ryan’s backup at SAM, and he’s definitely put on some weight since last year.  Now he looks like a linebacker rather than a strong safety.  I don’t think he’ll surpass Ryan, but he’s a very good backup.  It will be interesting to see what the coaches do with him in 2013 as a senior, because by that time, I don’t think they’ll be able to afford to keep him off the field.  Mike Jones and Joe Bolden played as backup middle linebackers, but neither one was particularly visible.  I saw a couple loafs out of Antonio Poole, which does not bode well for his immediate future.  Kaleb Ringer looked like he was in great shape and he made a nice tackle on Justice Hayes, but both of those guys seem to be a ways down on the depth chart.  The linebacker who impressed me most on the day was Brandin Hawthorne, who made a couple nice tackles for loss and grabbed a one-handed pick, albeit off walk-on Jack Kennedy, who floated the ball across the middle.  Hawthorne looked good at times last year, too, but he’s another guy who loafs once in a while, and that seemed to get him in the dighouse.  The linebackers now have depth, which we haven’t been able to say for several years.  I truly believe that Michigan has five starter-level linebackers: Ryan, Gordon, Demens, Morgan, and Hawthorne.

CORNERBACKS
J.T. Floyd started over Terrence Talbott, despite reports that Talbott had overtaken Floyd.  That was somewhat expected.  Floyd looked solid but was never tested deep.  Blake Countess made a nice pick on a late Devin Gardner throw and also made a couple nice tackles.  The backup cornerbacks did not impress me, although I don’t remember seeing much out of Talbott.  Maybe he’s the third guy and we’ll be fine, but I don’t think Raymon Taylor and Delonte Hollowell are ready.  We know Courtney Avery is pretty solid at the nickel corner, and although he pulled up on a tackle, it seemed like he was trying not to submarine the leaping receiver; if it were a game, I would be disappointed by that play, but I think he was just trying not to hurt his teammate.

SAFETIES
The starting safeties weren’t really tested in the running or the passing game.  Jordan Kovacs should be good and practice reports suggest that Thomas Gordon has improved once again, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see on him.  Backup free safety Jarrod Wilson needs to get stronger.  He did miss a tackle on Thomas Rawls that turned into a touchdown, but Wilson should be struggling through senioritis and ordering his prom tux right now.  Tackling 220 lb. running backs is a tough task for a safety so young.  Marvin Robinson looked solid as the backup strong safety and made a nice tackle for little or no gain in the run game.  As long as Robinson’s legal troubles are behind him, I expect him to improve and be a good in-the-box safety.  He should be a good replacement for Kovacs after the latter graduates.

Poll Results: Who will be Michigan’s starting WLB against Alabama?

Desmond Morgan (#44) played extensively as a true freshman last season

A couple weeks ago, I posted a poll asking who the starting weakside linebacker will be against Alabama in September.  Michigan has two returning starters at the position, but both have some deficiencies and some Michigan fans have made noise about wanting them to be surpassed.  Here are the results of the poll:

Desmond Morgan: 64%
The sophomore Morgan appears to be the starting weakside linebacker going into the spring, which continues his reign on the spot from last season.  Last year he made 63 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while playing in twelve of the thirteen games.  He has added some weight during the off-season, so we’ll see if that affects his speed in a significant way.

Joe Bolden: 17%
Bolden is a 6’3″, 230 lb. true freshman who enrolled early and has been practicing with the team throughout the spring.  He earned rave reviews at the Under Armour All American Game practices, and so far this spring, practice observers have been impressed, too.  According to several accounts, he has passed all but Kenny Demens for middle linebacker reps this spring.

Brandin Hawthorne: 5%
Hawthorne is a 6’0″, 214 lb. senior who played pretty extensively last season.  He made 43 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while starting five of the twelve games in which he played.  He lost playing time in the second half of the season to Morgan, though, and this spring he has still been a backup.

Antonio Poole: 5%
Poole is a 6’2″, 212 lb. redshirt freshman who has yet to see the field for the Wolverines.  Some rumors have suggested that he’s the #2 weakside linebacker this spring, but he has also seen some reps behind Demens and Bolden at the MIKE position.

James Ross: 4%
Ross will be a true freshman in the fall and has yet to enroll at Michigan.  As far as recruiting hype goes, he’s the most touted linebacker of the entire group.  But he’s also probably the smallest and he has the least experience, so it will be an uphill battle for him to get on the field this fall.

Kaleb Ringer: 0%
Ringer is one of three true freshmen to enroll early in January (Bolden, safety Jarrod Wilson).  He has been practicing this spring, but generally seems to be the least mentioned of the three.  And with the depth at inside linebacker, he seems to be way down the list.  He has also been getting limited reps at middle linebacker.

Other: 0%

TTB Ratings: Reason Behind the Ratings

Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison DE Mario Ojemudia made a significant jump in the new TTB ratings

Yesterday I posted the new TTB Ratings for Michigan’s class of 2012 (which I reserve the right to change until after Michigan’s recruiting class is completed), and obviously, there were some significant changes for a few players.  A couple kids have moved up or down a few points, but today I’ll try to explain the reasons behind the biggest movers.

Ondre Pipkins – NT – Kansas City (MO) Park Hill
Pipkins moved up from an 82 to a 90.  I was impressed with Pipkins’ performance in the Army All-American Bowl.  He looked to me to be a little bit out of shape, but I guess 330-pound defensive tackles rarely look like they’re in shape.  However, when he had the gas to go 100%, he was a terror.  He also showed good athleticism in chasing down quarterback Chad Voytik and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, causing a fumble against the latter.  Pipkins dominated the high school competition in Kansas City, but doing it against elite competition suggests that he’ll be able to have success in the Big Ten, too.

Joe Bolden – MIKE – Cincinnati (OH) Colerain
Bolden moved up from a 77 to an 88.  I was slightly disappointed that Bolden couldn’t bring down a few more ballcarriers in the Under Armour All-American Game, but he was the week’s best tackler in practice and he was very good at diagnosing plays.  I’ve always liked his decisiveness and intelligence, but he showed throughout the season and the all-star game that he has the speed and athleticism to be a very good Big Ten linebacker.  He needs to add weight and he would benefit from a redshirt year so he can improve his upper body strength.

Jehu Chesson – WR – St. Louis (MO) Ladue Horton Watkins
Chesson moved up from a 77 to an 87.  As I consider the future of Michigan’s offense under Brady Hoke and Al Borges, I realize the value of a jump-ball guy like Chesson.  He’s excellent at high-pointing the ball and catching it with his hands, and that bodes well for his future for Michigan.  He looks like an Adrian Arrington clone, and without another downfield threat on the squad, he could be that guy who can stretch the field as soon as next season.

Mario Ojemudia – WDE – Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison
Ojemudia moved up from a 67 to a 78.  Ojemudia played defensive end/outside linebacker in the Marine game, and his performance wasn’t very impressive . . . but since he mostly played defensive tackle in high school, I’m going to give him a little bit of a pass.  One of his strengths is getting off the ball quickly, and without the ball right under his nose, his reaction time was affected negatively.  However, his senior highlight film shows a guy who can use his hands to get off blocks, and he reminds me of the freshman version of Frank Clark.  Those two are very similar players, and Ojemudia looks like he’ll be able to fill that weakside end position nicely.

Blake Bars – C – Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell
Bars dropped from a 71 to a 62.  I wasn’t extremely high on Bars to begin with, because he seems a little slow-footed and doesn’t seem like a great athlete.  He looks like more of a backup and maybe a late-career starter as a tackle, but now that Caleb Stacey has decommitted in favor of Cincinnati, that might require the 6’5″ Bars to play center.  Since he lacks experience at the position and because of his lack of quickness, I think he might struggle inside.

Jeremy Clark – FS – Madisonville (KY) North Hopkins
Clark moved up from a 49 to a 59.  When I first heard about Clark and saw film on him, I thought he might be a big fish in a small pond.  But the more film I saw of him, the more I think he can make an impact at the next level.  He’s a lanky kid who gets by on athleticism, so I think college is going to be a bit of a wake-up call for him.  He probably won’t be the type who comes in and lights the world on fire.  He’ll have to improve his pursuit angles and he’ll have to become a more fundamental tackler, but his height (6’4″) and flat-out speed should provide a nice athlete on the back end to work with for four or five years down the road.

Kaleb Ringer – WILL – Clayton (OH) Northmont
Ringer dropped from a 64 to a 39.  As you might be able to tell from his original rating of 64, I wasn’t too high on Ringer from the start.  However, the more that I have seen and heard of Ringer, the more I’m concerned about him remaining with the program.  I do think he has the physical talent to be a backup, but let’s face it – guys from every recruiting class get lost in the shuffle, become career backups, transfer, etc.  My gut feeling on Ringer is that he’ll be one of those guys, especially with all the other talent at linebacker in the 2012 class.

Mailbag: How ’bout them linebacker recruits?

Joe Bolden (#27) helps tackle Wes Brown in Thursday’s Under Armour All-America Game (image via Cincinnati.com)

 Magnus – 

This week there has been a lot of buzz about how well Joe Bolden is playing. Of the four incoming linebackers (all of which you list on your site as inside linebackers) I’m wondering how you see them fitting into the scheme and depth chart. More specifically: Demens is a solid multi-year starter who will anchor the middle next year and be replaced by someone the following year – who do you think is the best fit? Morgan is limited athletically but as a freshman proved to be a quality contributor and should only get better – do you see any of the freshmen threatening his starting spot next year or beyond that? Do you see any of these recruits changing positions to DE or OLB? Has Bolden’s performance this week changed your rating of him? 

Also, could you maybe talk about the differences in physical traits that you’d want between the Will and Mike positions? My understanding is that the 4-3 under is pretty similar to a 3-4 defense and that both the MIKE and WILL are essentially classic middle linebackers. Is that true? 

Adam Gurnee, IL

Thanks for the question, Adam.  I list all four incoming linebackers as “inside linebackers” because in the 4-3 Under, there are two inside linebackers and one outside linebacker.  Against a base offense, both the WILL and MIKE playing between the tackles and are mostly interchangeable.  They essentially have the same responsibility against the run, although obviously offensive formations and plays change things a little bit.  If Michigan ran a 4-3 Over or a Tampa Two defense, then I would consider the WILL an outside linebacker and the MIKE an inside ‘backer.  For further schematic explation, check out this post from last spring.

Both Joe Bolden and Royce Jenkins-Stone have been recruited to play MIKE.  James Ross and Kaleb Ringer have been recruited to play WILL.

I believe the best fit to replace Demens in a couple years is Desmond Morgan.  Morgan is already 220-225 lbs. and a good height (in other words, not too tall) to take on lead blocks from fullbacks.  Brady Hoke clearly values experience (why else would Troy Woolfolk start for the entire season?), and I think that will give Morgan the upper hand in the fight for the middle linebacker job, even if a guy like Joe Bolden is hot on his heels.  I also think Morgan lacks the necessary athleticism to start at WILL for the next three years, because he’s too slow to cover running backs and slot receivers in space.  He’s a short-term plug at WILL, not a long-term answer, in my opinion.

I do not think Morgan’s starting spot at WILL is etched in stone for next season.  He had a solid year but not a great one, and as I said above, his skill set isn’t perfect for the position.  If incoming freshman James Ross can add just a little bit of weight, I think he has a decent shot at unseating Desmond Morgan or at least getting some snaps as a backup.  Ross diagnoses plays as quickly as I have ever seen a high schooler, and that’s a key component of playing WILL in this defense.  The weakside ‘backer is often unblocked or targeted on play action passes, so it’s very important that he’s an intelligent player.  I think that’s why Morgan found time there as a freshman, and I think that’s why Ross has a shot there, too.

I do not foresee any of these linebackers playing defensive end, but there is a possibility that Jenkins-Stone could turn into a SAM.  He’s a tall, lean guy and if he can get in the weight room and pack on some pounds, then he could be an attacker in the mold of Jake Ryan.  However, depth is needed at middle linebacker, so my guess is that he stays there, at least for a couple seasons.  Bolden is a talented kid but has less position flexibility, so if Jenkins-Stone presses for playing time, then I could see him playing SAM to get all the talent spread out among the three linebacker positions.